Funding GnuCash Development

Linas Vepstas linas at linas.org
Fri Aug 29 13:27:04 CDT 2003


On Fri, Aug 29, 2003 at 04:17:53AM -0400, tripp+gnucash-devel at perspex.com was heard to remark:
> On Thu, 28 Aug 2003, Linas Vepstas wrote:
> 
> > Havoc is paid work on Gnome full-time.  I am not.
> 	[...]
> > Gnucash has zero full-time, paid developers.
> 
> What would it take to make this otherwise? I mean, just brainstorm
> outloud, because maybe someone's out there in a position to make it happen
> (individually or collectively).

I've heard statements to the effect that some petroleum/gas companies
are disatisfied with thier current accounting setup, and would be 
interested in funding some open source development to fix this. 
But I couldn't run this idea down myself.  

I found this idea intriguing, because oil revenues, like music industry
revenues are very tangled: well owners each get some, so do the
operators, so does the pipeline, so does the refinery, and its a
complex multi-way split with loops and feedback and limits & etc. .
In the music industry, there's also many different types and kinds
of royalties flowing every which way.  So I think there's some
interesting peer-to-peer, digital-signature, contracts-based accounting
technology that can be developed.  Basically, a transaction is not
recorded on the books until all of the involved parties have reviewed
it and affixed thier digital signature to it.  It bears superficial
similarity to digital cash, which I'd like to work on.

Note also: you can also solve the double-spending problem of anonymous
digital cash by broadcasting transactions over a peer-to-peer network.
Double-spending is one of the major technical barriers to digital cash.
(that and a patent portfolio that is sitting idle, waiting to bite
someone).

OK, so I wandered off-topic. I'd love to see corporate sponsorship
for gnucash development, but I don't know how to raise awareness.
Send press-releases to CFO magazine?  

I suspect that a dedicated individual could build a self-sustaining
business providing support to small-business gnucash users.  
For example, charging $500 of $1000 for x amount of support. 
But much as I'd like to do this, I'm not sure I'd be able to do this
myself. I've had my fill of small, struggling businesses for a while.

The real problem with any of these kinds of funding ideas is that
they require someone with an entreprenurial spirit and salesmanship
abilities, willing to make calls, shake hands, and put a deal together. 
And until there's a deal, you're living in a suitcase in the backseat
of your car. (speaking either metaphorcally, or in actuality). Most
everybody on these mailing lists just don't have that kind of talent.


--linas

-- 
pub  1024D/01045933 2001-02-01 Linas Vepstas (Labas!) <linas at linas.org>
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